We don’t jump into the politics of the craft-beer world much, and that’s by design. There are plenty of media outlets that do, but we prefer to stay focused on the stuff that we think matters most—the beer itself and the artistry and craft behind how it’s made.
A trio of recent announcements has made it harder and harder to avoid the question of politics and ownership in craft beer, however—first, the acquisition by AB-InBev of beloved Asheville, North Carolina, brewer Wicked Weed, then the announcement that the South African hops farm acquired by AB-InBev in its recent merger with SABMiller would no longer sell its unique flavor and aroma hops to American craft brewers, and finally the news that AB-InBev’s venture capital arm had purchased a stake in beer ratings website RateBeer.com.
Add these to the stake AB-InBev owns in Northern Brewer/Midwest Supplies, PicoBrew, its own beer blog The Beer Necessities, plus the stake it owns in the new beer website October, and an interesting pattern starts to emerge. Controlling data, controlling media coverage, and controlling raw materials are new fronts in the ongoing battle against craft beer, and “winning” in that battle for mindshare can be as simple as convincing people that the line between macro and craft doesn’t matter.